RTE: Parents get relief in income certificate row

TNN | Updated: Aug 11, 2016, 1:34 IST

MUMBAI: Students, whose admissions under the Right to Admission (RTE) Act were rejected after their parents produced a fake income certificate initially to get admissions, will now get a second chance.

The state’s education department has asked city schools to complete the admission process of these students if they have now obtained a bona fide income certificate. Unaided schools have however, objected to the orders and alleged that the department is asking them to admit students who have submitted fake income certificates. In a letter to the deputy director of education, the deputy secretary of school education, Suvarna Kharat said, “RTE applications at some schools were rejected because income certificates submitted were found to be fake. However, some of the certificates are found to be genuine. Hence, ensure that in case of the students whose certificate are in order or have been corrected, admissions are conducted under the 25% quota at the school.” BB Chavan, deputy director of education, Mumbai on the basis of the above has sent a letter to five schools in the city. Until last year, the BMC verified the documents but this year, schools were entrusted with the task and some of them had found the certificates to be fake. However, the Unaided Schools Forum alleged that the letter has asked them not to cancel admission of students even if the income certificates are found to be fake. In a letter to the chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, the forum said, “Vide letter dated July 26 (deputy director of education) ordered schools not to cancel such RTE admissions for the academic year 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 whose parents have submitted fake income proof.” The forum, however, refused to disclose names of the schools or the letter. The forum has requested the chief minister to set up an inquiry committee in this regard, failing which they will move to the high court. “The allegations are false. We have not asked the schools to complete admissions where income certificates are fake,” Chavan said.